Eventful game for Pacioretty with two penalty shots and hat trick (Video)

It was a busy night for Canadiens goaltender Carey Price who faced 44 shots, but also for Max Pacioretty who was awarded two penalty shots within a three-minute span in the second period.

Pacioretty failed to convert on those chances, but scored a hat trick in the Habs 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. It was Pacioretty’s third career hat trick and second one this season. He now has 26 goals.

“If we had lost that game by a goal I would have been kicking myself in the head, missing two penalty shots like that,” Pacioretty said.

“I think my only three penalty shots in the NHL are against Roberto Luongo. So he’s a big goalie–he’s a good goalie. When it comes to penalty shots he’s in my head.”

Like probably anyone who was watching the game, Pacioretty was stunned to get a second penalty shot.

“That’s the last thing I would expect to happen so quickly after my first one,” he said.

It was the first time in the Habs history that the team was awarded two penalty shots in a game.

“Funny thing is this morning I don’t think I missed a penalty shot in practice. And I took about four or five of them. So it’s just the way it goes,” Pacioretty said.

The game also featured Olympic goaltending overtones with Price and Luongo in net for their respective teams, and both bound for the Winter Games in Sochi, Russia next week as teammates on Team Canada. Luongo faced 29 shots and like Price made some key saves. The Habs fourth goal was credited to Tomas Plekanec, but the puck went off Canucks defenceman Alexander Edler’s skate. Pacioretty scored an empty-net goal at 18:52 of the third period.

The struggling Canucks have now lost their last six games.

The game also marked the first time defenceman Raphael Diaz and forward Dale Weise played against their former teams since Monday’s trade between the Habs and Canucks. Diaz picked up an assist on Edler’s power play goal in the third period, while Weise collected an assist on Ryan White’s goal in the first period.

27 Comments

I wouldv´ve liked to have seen some secondary scoring against a decimated Canucks team: Eller, Gionta, Briere etc., so for me, not a great sign, though of course it´s great that the team won.
The fact that Emelin, Murray, and Beaulieu have all upped their game is huge; the defence is now more reliable and no longer in total disarray.
The team absolutely needs to support Eller. How many times did we hear Therrien talking about putting players in a situation to succeed when alluding to Desharnais earlier in the season? We never hear this about Eller. Why? He seems to be being pigeonholed into a more defensive role. This is wrong. By last season´s end, he was a dominant player and the hab´s most dominant OFFENSIVE centre.
The habs cannot continue to have a black hole offensively on the third line. Eller isn´t a question mark; he´s someone who took a big step forward last year and PROVED he can be a dominant player. It is up to the coach to get him to play the way he is capable of playing and support him as much as he has supported Desharnais. Getting Galchenyuk back should help.
The habs with three good centres playing to their capabilities can easily win at least one or two playoff rounds.
I keep thinking with Chucky itching to play centre next year, that something has to give soon, and I fear the wrong decision will be made; parting with the centre who is a) is the second youngest of the four b) has the second most upside of the four 3) is the biggest and most physical of the four (on a small team) and d) is the second best defensively of the four.

Nice to see us pot a few tonight. I was really happy to see the jump we had in the first. Came to play. Price was his normal ridiculous self, I think we all just take it for granted at this point that he’s going to be lights out. I know I do.

Coming back from the break, with a healthy Chucky and hopefully nobody getting banged up in Russia, we could very well take a run at getting some home ice in the playoffs. The big key will be that first stretch of games. We have to run the California gauntlet of death. Should be fun. Could also be the defining road trip of the season. That trip could very well determine if we cruise into the playoffs and maybe a home series or two, or have to scratch and claw till game 82 for one of the last 2 spots.

Eastern conference broken into two divisions. Top three in each division qualify. Two wild cards are drawn from the entire conference.

Top team in the conference (Pit) would play wild card 2 while second seed (Bos) plays wild card 1 – not necessarily the 7th and 8th seed.

Montreal, if they can’t catch Boston, will play someone from the Atlantic division. Looks like either Toronto or Tampa. The maximum number of teams that can qualify from one division is five.

Here is the twist. Right now Tampa and Montreal are the third and fourth seed in the conference. They would play each other by virtue of the slotting process. The other 2-3 seed match up would be between New York and Philly. As a result, either the 6 or 8 seed would be guaranteed to advance, while either the 3/4 seed would be guaranteed to be done. Interesting wrinkle.

Hypothetically, the you could end up with the fifth most points in the entire conference and play the first place team. Further, you could see a 7/8 matchup in the first round.

He has been playing better of late and deserves the ice time and is actually making that line dangerous offensively. I do remember him crashing hard into the boards at the end of a shift so maybe that had something to do with it.

Agreed about his improved play. I don’t see how it would have been hard to give him ice time since they were playing one LW down and Briere being lined up on the left. MT did sit Beaulieu for a bit for a misplaced pinch, so maybe he was feeling vindictive